Crufts may have a winner but dog who brought joy to autistic boy is true champion

Young Joel didn’t speak until he was five, had sensory disorder and sometimes became distressed or violent, but his life changed forever after meeting Caddie

Comment

Kelvin MacKenzie

12 Mar 2017, 23:11

Updated: 12 Mar 2018, 10:28

BEING a hard-boiled, ­emotionally stunted, self- absorbed, often cynical columnist (surely not – Ed) this quote from the mother of an autistic boy called Joel telling of the extraordinary bond he developed with Caddie the Labrador literally moved me to tears.

“He sat and stared at Caddie for a long time. But when we asked Joel if he’d like to go into the garden and play ball with him he just followed him out and they hit it off.

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Joel didn’t speak until he was five, had sensory disorder and sometimes became distressed or violent, but his life changed completely after meeting CaddieCredit: Alamy

“It was the first time Joel had ever agreed to go into the garden and the first time we had ever seen him smile.

“My husband broke down in tears and we both knew ­Caddie was going to change our lives.”

That quote came from Joel’s mum Janet. The family had learned when Joel was seven that he was autistic.

He didn’t speak until he was five, had sensory disorder and language impairment sometimes leading him to become distressed or violent.

Then his paediatrician ­suggested he might be eligible for an autistic assistance dog from the Dogs for Good charity. Life for the family from Newquay, Cornwall, changed forever.

Since pairing with Caddie four years ago Joel has gone on surfing trips, joined family meal times and even gone to the dentist’s.

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Joel's inspiring story was played out on Channel 4’s Crufts broadcast, where Caddie was up for the special Friends for Life awardCredit: Getty Images

Janet, 52, says Caddie knows instinctively that Joel is feeling anxious and picks up a toy and brings it over to him sitting with his head on his knee.

Every night he ­follows Joel up the stairs and stays with him until he is asleep and then comes back down.

This inspiring story was played out on Channel 4’s Crufts broadcast last night. Caddie was up for the special Friends for Life award — and I am amazed he didn’t win.

Anybody who has ever had a dog knows what an extraordinary change it brings to your life. Our golden retriever died and the house never felt properly lived-in again.

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Since pairing with Caddie four years ago Joel has gone on surfing trips, joined family meal times and even gone to the dentist’sCredit: Alamy

The executive who edited the Sun you are reading lost his spaniel after 14 years and tells me his house is full of tears.

They are our best friends. Just ask Joel who says: “He keeps me calm and safe.”

Caddie is a true champion.

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Conned by tale of rape

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The world was duped by the story of Katie Brannen, a 26-year-old woman who was charged with rapeCredit: Enterprise News and Pictures

I had never heard the like. How was it possible? Can a woman really rape a man? Don’t you need a penis for that?

All we were told was the accused’s name. She was Katie Brannen from South Shields, Tyne and Wear and the attack happened back in January. Further, she was granted bail and not allowed to enter pubs.

That was only half the story.

In fact, Katie was born a man – with a penis – but the courts kept that a secret and in doing so led to a fake news story that went round the world.

Why would the judiciary let that happen?

Simple. The transgender lobby is so powerful that it’s better you and I are deceived on something as important as rape rather than know the full sexual identity of the accused and thereby understand what might have happened.

Let’s be clear. A woman cannot rape a man and the courts have no right to put our right to know the truth ahead of the right of a defendant to be known as a woman.

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Despite getting goals, the empty seats at The Valley are becoming a real concernCredit: PA:Press Association

GOING by the numbers in the ground for the Walsall game, if the attendance at Charlton gets any lower there will be more people in the directors’ box than the stands.

LOVING son Tim Hollingsworth sends me this email: “I think I have done my good deed for the day. My lovely mother has been happily renewing her car insurance every year with the same broker.

“Her premium was £587. I saw it for the first time, muttered ‘merde’ and went on A Spokesman Said and received a quote for £268, saving £319. It was the same insurer but directly rather than a broker.”

Tim from Guernsey earns my Good Son trophy for making my point. Avoid brokers – they are simply adding a margin. Do send your saving stories to kelvin@the-sun.co.uk.

Stinker Taylor

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Matthew Taylor has a First in sociology at Southampton, is a devoted supporter of Tony Benn as a student, Assistant General Secretary of the Labour Party and a long-time acolyte of Tony BlairCredit: Rex Features

MATTHEW Taylor is a professional bleeding heart. A first in sociology at Southampton, a devoted supporter of Tony Benn as a student, Assistant General Secretary of the Labour Party and a long-time acolyte of Tony Blair. What a bloody awful CV.

If you ever hear him on Radio 4’s rather good Moral Maze do have your sick bucket handy.

So why on earth did the Government pick a man who has never done a proper job in his 56 years to lead an independent review into the rights of the working-all-hours-God-sent self-employed?

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To defuse the massive Budget row over increasing the tax for the self-employed Mrs May said she will wait for Taylor’s review before deciding what to doCredit: Getty Images

I already know what he will recommend. Even back in the Blair days he was in favour of tax increases so he won’t give a stuff about the plumbers, brickies and small entrepreneurial types out there. It will be tax, tax and tax again.

Could I remind the Prime Minister that she is supposed to be a Conservative looking out for the little people.

She should announce she is scrapping the self-employed increase and that she is ending the Taylor review.

And if she hasn’t the heart to give Taylor the bad news I would consider it an honour to be given the job.

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FIVE years ago a former digital boss at The Sun joined a risky venture called Snapchat and was given two per cent of the equity as a come-on.

The company has just floated and his shares are worth $500million. Wow!

Apparently Nick Bell is a good-looking Geordie with an easy charm who dated a Miss GB before moving to the States. I’ve never met him but I hate him already.

AS England coach Eddie Jones might say there’s a fine line between success and failure in rugby.

Its called Hadrian’s Wall.

MY spies are everywhere. A former employee of the crooks at Ethical Forestry (Friday’s lead item) who took £14million out of the business by exploiting pension pots says police should check two lock-ups at Castlepoint Storage in Bournemouth as there are tens of thousands of documents housed there.

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I was so moved by the photo of blooded little Omran in an Aleppo ambulance, that I commissioned the artist Jolyon Madden to replicate the look then sold prints

GLAD to see I’m in good company. I was so moved by the photo of blooded little Omran in an Aleppo ambulance, that I commissioned the artist Jolyon Madden to replicate the look then sold prints to Sun readers with the money going to the White Helmets.

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Sir Elton John, inset, has acquired a print for an undisclosed sum to highlight the plight of youngsters in SyriaCredit: Getty Images

Now I see Sir Elton John has acquired a print for an undisclosed sum to highlight the plight of youngsters in Syria. That will be the first time he and I have agreed on anything in decades.

NOMINATIVE determinism (names that are attracted to jobs) returns. Steve Crook runs his own security business in the Kent area with the website address crooksecurity.co.uk

UNCOMFORTABLE facts for the army of virtue signallers out there:

1. The wealthiest 3,000 people in Britain pay more tax than the bottom nine million (most of whom are in the Question Time audience on Thursday nights).
Corbynistas must accept somebody has to pay for the NHS and it can’t be his lot – they’re skint.

We need more rich, not less.

2. Only a month after coming to office President Trump announced 235,000 jobs added in February, a fall to 4.7 per cent in unemployment and pay up nearly three per cent.

Plus a survey of Americans’ confidence in the economy rose to the highest level in 15 years.

Trump really does look as though he will make America great again. Astonishing.